Introduction The prevalence of lipodystrophy ranges from 2 to 84% and the range of findings stems from differences between the populations studied and lack of standardised diagnostic criteria. The diagnosis of lipodystrophy is based on changes in body fat distribution with or without medical confirmation, objective measures of circumferences and skin folds or quantification of adiposity by dual emission x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) CT scan or MRI.

Objective Establish diagnostic criteria for lipodystrophy and evaluate the prevalence of lipodystrophy among men and women with HIV/AIDS.

Study design Cross-sectional survey was conducted in HIV-infected patients of both genders, aged 18 years or older who sought to confirm the diagnosis or treatment in a reference service for HIV/AIDS for the period June 2006 to December 2008.

Results 1240 patients with HIV infection were invited to participate. Among the signs that contributed most to the detection of lipoatrophy, include hollow cheeks, reduced fat on the face, buttocks and arms. To lipohypertrophy the biggest contributor was an increase in fat in the abdomen, abdomen bigger than usual and increased waist circumference. Men were more often lipoatrophy (p=0.049) and women lipohypertrophy (p<0.001).

Conclusion This study identified high rates of self-reported signs of lipodystrophy were significantly associated with that objective measures. The differences between men and women do not represent a formal test validation, but the analysis comparing objective measures confirms the importance of using specific questions about changes in the distribution of fat in their accompaniment.